Wednesday, March 3 - A day off!!

Wednesday, Mar 3 - We were up at 5 to set off at 5:45, and suddenly I knew I had to have a day off. Most of the rest of the trip we’re 1.5 days at a location, but here we’re 2.5, so I told RR I was going to explore and paint and recover from the endless rushing and looking. Got up at seven and wandered over the bridge to the outdoor restaurant. Not much English spoken here but I was able to order coffee and egg and got a full English breakfast: egg, toast, ham, bacon and hotdogs! Managed to eat some of it and set off exploring the grounds of this lovely, tropical hotel. I was the only one about as everyone else seems to be a birder and therefore out birding!

I cleaned up our computer and at 10 AM my sister, Hilary, was on line so we had fun IM-ing for while! I painted a watercolor of the restaurant from our porch and then took off for “town”.

I wandered down the street and off on tiny lanes winding through rice paddies. Everyone seemed rather severe until I smiled and tried the Thai greeting of bowing with hands in the prayer position whereupon I was greeted with smiles and giggles!

I passed a school and got a chorus of “Hello, hello!!” from the kids inside, probably thoroughly interrupting their lesson. I walked about a mile and was getting hungry. I was tempted to try one of the roadside huts displaying delicious-smelling chickens on a spit, but thought Bob wouldn’t approve, so went onto the open porch of a small hotel and by pointing at pictures managed to order a Coke and a large bowl of pork noodle soup which came with green and black leafy veg., pork meatballs and an inch-thick cylinder of egg (soy?) custard sliced into large pieces. Delicious! The staff of four watched me eat as I was the only customer!



I walked back and all the food huts were doing a good business - lunch doesn’t seem to start until 1 PM - and wandered around the hotel grounds and into the woods to look for wildlife- I knew I’d be drilled on what birds I had seen on my slothful day! It was pretty quiet but I saw a few and figured them out.

Back to the hotel, ordered a large Chang beer and did another watercolor from the restaurant terrace which overhangs a pond. I felt really refreshed and relaxed! At five the vans returned and the bedraggled birders trooped in to take showers in preparation for the List and dinner.